News

Revealed: The big winners of the controversial £310m European Social Fund tender

Serco has come out as the biggest winner of the government’s controversial European Social Fund tender, securing 17 contracts…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Serial entrepreneur’s new provider fails to impress Ofsted

A new provider run by a well-known entrepreneur has been criticised by Ofsted after inspectors found it making ‘insufficient…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

PhD-level apprenticeships are a ‘perfect fit’ for today’s jobs market, says UVAC director

A university membership organisation has criticised those opposing PhDlevel apprenticeships, saying such resistance shows a “bewildering lack of understanding…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Ofsted watch: Tough week with one employer provider crashing to a grade four

It has been a tough week for FE as one provider was hit with ‘inadequate’ and three others found…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

UCU elects general secretary

Jo Grady has been elected the new general secretary of the University and College Union, though on a turnout…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

Statistics watchdog ‘content’ with DfE including unreliable data in achievement rate tables

The country’s national statistics regulator has given the DfE achievement rate data a clean bill of health but called…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino


News

T-level students in rural areas still at disadvantage, despite DfE ‘tinkering’

The flexibilities added to the controversial industry placement in T-levels are “helpful” but they still leave rural counties at…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

DfE’s double standards over level 2 business admin apprenticeship

The Department for Education has been accused of double standards after it launched a recruitment drive for level 2…

Jessica Fino
Jessica Fino
News

‘We were genuinely shocked by what we found’

The FE Commissioner, Richard Atkins, was due to visit West Kent and Ashford College following their Ofsted grade three…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Former college leadership and ESFA financial oversight in the dock

A damning FE Commissioner report has revealed how Hadlow Group’s leaders concealed the truth of its financial position until…

Fraser Whieldon
Fraser Whieldon
News

Revealed: the quarter-of-a-million pound brand to boost T-levels’ visibility

The government has unveiled its new branding for T-levels, in what has been described as the “first step” toward…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
News

Provider to stop delivering care apprentice standards after DfE rejects funding rate plea

A significant apprenticeship provider plans to stop recruiting in the care sector after the government rejected calls to increase…

Billy Camden
Billy Camden

Must read

Colleges, Long read

Alun Francis, chair of the Social Mobility Commission

Deprived areas need vision – not victimhood – to level up, and Social Mobility Commission chair Alun Francis is…

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Long read, Prison education

The prison that’s offering hope for a new life upon release

‘We’re saving people’s lives as well as turning them around’

Jessica Hill
Jessica Hill
Apprenticeships, Politics

Phillipson to exempt young people from level 7 apprenticeships funding axe

Education secretary makes ‘important concession’ amid backlash from other government departments

Billy Camden
Billy Camden
Colleges, FE Commissioner

Weston chair felt powerless over £2.5m payments to former principal

Ex-Weston college chair gives tell-all interview following FE Commissioner probe

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
Colleges

Weston College governance failure allowed ‘concealment’ of £2.5m payments to former principal

Paul Phillips was paid £1.8m in 2023, including a ‘significant’ six-figure retention payment which his COO son ‘resisted’ paying…

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel
T Levels

NAO reveals enormity of T Level take-up failure

Forecasts missed by 75% and secret DfE estimates show staff and employer shortages could limit places to 48,000 students

Anviksha Patel
Anviksha Patel